Alturkistani, A., Qavi, A., Anyanwu, P. E., Greenfield, G., Greaves, F., & Costelloe, C. (2020). Patient portal functionalities and patient outcomes among patients with diabetes: Systematic review. Journal of medical Internet research, 22(9), e18976. https://doi.org/10.2196/18976 Alturkistani et al. (2020) conducted a systematic review to outline the evidence concerning the use of patient portal use and patient portal functionality use and their reported connection with health and outcomes in health care quality among adult diabetic patients. The review included twelve studies, which reported: The overall patient portal use and its connection with diabetes health and health quality outcomes; E-messaging/email use– related outcomes; Prescription refill–related outcomes. The reported health outcomes included the association of patient portal use with blood pressure, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and BMI. The studies in the systematic review reported that patient portals and patient portal functionality attributed to improved health outcomes, such as glycemic control in DM patients. Besides, secure messaging, emailing, and repeat prescription ordering using the patient portal were connected with enhanced glycemic control, and patient outcomes seemed to improve with increased portal use. It was also established that the use of the patient portal might be connected with enhanced low-density lipoprotein cholesterol outcomes and blood pressure control. From this article, we learn that patient portals use and patient portal functionality can impact the utilization of health care services and can result in increased office visits and reduced emergency department visits. The article establishes that patient portal use is connected with improved quality of care for diabetic patients, thus improving their health outcomes. Carini, E., Villani, L., Pezzullo, A. M., Gentili, A., Barbara, A., Ricciardi, W., & Boccia, S. (2021). The impact of digital patient portals on health outcomes, system efficiency, and patient attitudes: Updated systematic literature review. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 23(9), e26189. https://doi.org/10.2196/26189 Carini et al. (2021) conducted a systematic review to summarize the available evidence on the effect of patient portals on health outcomes and health care efficiency and to explore user characteristics, attitudes, and satisfaction. The researchers used primary studies discussing the impact of the adoption of the patient portal with regard to health outcomes, efficiencies in health care, and patient attitudes and satisfaction. The study found that patient portals were associated with improved preventive behaviors among patients and improved control of chronic conditions with enhanced control of diabetes parameters and asthma flares. In addition, patient portals were associated with positive results in control and maintenance of diseases and improved adherence to treatment. Patient portals also reduced the number of missed appointments. From the article, we learn that the patient portal is usually designed to minimize inappropriate health care utilization. However, barriers are limiting the utilization of portals, including user-related factors, such as time constraints, lack of interest in managing their disease, and inadequate digital knowledge. There are also clinician-related barriers, such as age and attitude toward the portal, as well as technology-related barriers, such as limited internet access, limited capacity to use technology, and security concerns. Therefore, health organizations should address privacy and security concerns and ensure patients and providers can utilize technological appliances when introducing patient portals in their settings. Dendere, R., Slade, C., Burton-Jones, A., Sullivan, C., Staib, A., & Janda, M. (2019). Patient Portals Facilitating Engagement With Inpatient Electronic Medical Records: A Systematic Review. Journal of medical Internet research, 21(4), e12779. https://doi.org/10.2196/12779 Dendere et al. (2019) sought to review literature examining patient portals connected to an EMR in inpatient settings, including the portals’ role in patient engagement and their impact on health care delivery to establish factors and best practices for successful portal implementation. The study employed a systematic review of the literature. It found that patient portals improved patient engagement, patient safety, medication adherence, and patient-provider communication. Although patients and providers perceived that portals could improve patient care, they also thought it could cause anxiety. We learn from the article that patient portals are beneficial as they have improved medication adherence, promoted the discovery of medical errors, and enhanced patient-provider communication. Besides, we learn that improving patient engagement is an aim of patient portals, but the providers’ engagement is equally important as patients approach them with portal-related questions. Han, H. R., Gleason, K. T., Sun, C. A., Miller, H. N., Kang, S. J., Chow, S., … & Bauer, T. (2019). Using patient portals to improve patient outcomes: systematic review. JMIR human factors, 6(4), e15038. https://doi.org/10.2196/15038 Han et al. (2019) conducted a systematic review to synthesize evidence concerning patient portals’ characteristics and psychobehavioral and clinical outcomes. The study found that most portals employed tailored alerts or educational resources tailored to a patient’s disease. The use of patient portals contributed to improvements in a myriad of psychobehavioral outcomes, including health knowledge, medication adherence, decision making, self-efficacy, and preventive service use. The impact of the patient portal on health outcomes included improved glycemic control, blood pressure, cholesterol, and weight loss. The study’s findings demonstrate the patient portal as a promising approach to improving particular psychological outcomes and health behaviors through simple strategies such as individually tailored messages, refill services, and communication between the patient and the PCP. We learn from the article that understanding the role of patient portals as a useful intervention approach is crucial to encouraging patients to be actively involved in their health care.